High Stakes

by Bonnie Bryant

  Lisa laughed. “You’ll have to be more specific,” she teased, leaning against the locker behind her. “Stevie tends to have a lot to say, and sometimes it’s hard to keep track.”

  Carole smiled sheepishly. “Oh, yeah. Um, I meant the stuff she was saying about, you know, asking someone to the CARL thing. Like Scott or whoever.”

  Lisa frowned. “Oh.”

  “No, really,” Carole went on hurriedly. “I mean, I know she was probably just thinking of her own problems when she suggested it. Mostly, anyway. But maybe it’s not such a bad idea, you know? To start out with a guy you know as a friend.” She smiled beseechingly. “It’s not too late to ask him.”

  Lisa felt a twinge of annoyance. Why did people who were falling in love always try to fix up everyone they knew, whether they needed it or not?

  But then she realized what Carole was really doing. “Oh!” she said. “Did you and Cam want to go? Together, I mean?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Carole said quickly, shifting her books from one arm to the other. “I mean, we hadn’t really talked about it or anything. Besides, I already said I’d go with you. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Lisa couldn’t help laughing at the half hopeful, half miserable expression on her friend’s face. “Don’t be silly,” she said. “You and Cam should definitely go together. You’re a couple now, and that’s what couples do.”

  Carole protested weakly for a moment or two, but Lisa wouldn’t budge. Finally Carole gave in. “Well, okay,” she said, sounding relieved. “But you’re still going to go, right?”

  “Of course. I’ll tag along with Callie or someone.” Lisa shrugged. “Or maybe with Stevie and Phil—they won’t mind having me along, especially if A.J. comes with us, too.”

  “Are you sure?” Carole still looked guilty. “I mean, Scott—”

  “I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” Lisa interrupted. “Especially if he really is interested in Stevie. Things could get complicated.” She shrugged again. “But don’t worry. With a date or without, I’m in for sure. I can’t let all those homeless animals down, right? In fact, I was thinking this morning that I’d feel a little guilty using that free ticket you offered. Dad already sent me a nice fat check for Christmas—I can pay for a ticket myself. You and Cam can use the free ones.”

  Carole started to protest anew at that, but the shrill sound of the bell interrupted her.

  “Gotta go,” Lisa said. “If anyone’s even two seconds late to Spanish, Señora Torres makes them sing Spanish folk songs in front of the whole class.”

  She waved good-bye to Carole and hurried off, her mind already on the upcoming CARL event. This is definitely weird, she thought, stepping around a teacher who was scolding a couple of guys in the middle of the hall. I’m not used to being the one who’s stuck without a date for the big party.

  She wondered if she was feeling anything like the way Carole must have felt many times over the years, when Lisa and Stevie were busy with their boyfriends and Carole was the one without a date. Maybe that was why Carole had always been able to focus so strongly on horses—her one true, faithful love.

  And maybe that’s not such a bad thing in some ways, Lisa thought as she reached her classroom and headed in to take her seat. Carole is so totally dedicated, so focused. She knows exactly what she wants to do with her life.

  Could Lisa gain that kind of focus now that she didn’t have a boyfriend taking up so much of her time? Maybe if she took some real time off from dating, she could whip her life into shape and figure out her own future.

  Tapping her fingers on her desk, Lisa glanced around the room. The teacher was up by her desk, talking to a couple of girls, so everyone else was relaxing, chatting, or rushing to finish their homework before class started.

  Lisa surveyed the guys in the class. Could she really imagine herself dating any of them? Talking with them, waiting for them to pick her up, kissing them good night? She shook her head. It felt so strange even to think about such a thing.

  She turned her thoughts to Alex. He and Lisa were supposed to get together at the end of the month and talk, figure out where to go from there. All along, she’d been assuming that they would get back together. But now, as she tried to picture what the reunion would be like, she had trouble bringing it into focus. What would he say about their time apart? What would she want him to say?

  She sighed and leaned her elbows on her desk, resting her chin on her hand as the teacher finally called the class to order. Once again, her mind returned to the other option. I could just swear off guys entirely, she told herself. Spend the next eight months studying and spending time with my friends and getting to know myself, on my own. Alone. Totally solo.

  The idea was frightening and strangely appealing at the same time. What would it be like, going through the rest of the year in this sort of dating limbo? How would she fill her time?

  She wasn’t sure. Giving up dating entirely seemed kind of extreme, but she didn’t think the other possibilities were all that appealing, either. Still, whatever she decided to do, she knew one thing for sure: She didn’t want to end up like her mother, feeling as if she had no life at all without a man by her side.

  “… and then the main character in the movie hijacked this parade horse, which was actually this awesome Arabian mare with super conformation and tons of spirit. She ran like she never wanted to stop,” George said cheerfully. “As soon as I saw her, I said, that’s exactly the kind of horse Callie would love to find for herself. Too bad it was just a TV show, huh?”

  Callie gritted her teeth, wishing that their chemistry teacher hadn’t decided to let them break into their lab groups to work on their next project. The class had started only ten minutes earlier, and George was already wearing on her last nerve. Why can’t he get the hint? she wondered in frustration. Why doesn’t he realize that I meant it when I said we needed to take a break from our friendship?

  “Anyway, enough about me,” George burbled, oblivious to Callie’s growing impatience. “What’s new with you? How’s your training going?”

  Callie took a deep breath, ready to explode and tell him off, once and for all, no holds barred. Just in time, she noticed the teacher wandering up and down the aisle nearby and remembered where they were. This isn’t the time or the place, she told herself firmly, doing her best to keep her fury under control. It can wait. I’ll take care of it later—if I survive this class, that is.

  “I haven’t had much time for training,” she blurted out, desperate to distract herself from her anger and frustration. “I’ve been too busy running all over the county looking at horses. And I’m still at it. I have, like, four appointments set up already this week. I’m seeing a couple of Arabians on Wednesday at a farm Denise recommended, and then on Thursday I’m checking out a nice-sounding Appy over at that place on Highway Twelve. Of course, if experience tells me anything, he’ll probably turn out to be lame in three legs and half donkey besides. Or at least half quarter horse.” She forced a laugh that sounded tinny and fake in her own ears.

  I’m not sure how much longer I can do this, she thought grimly as George started babbling about some wonderful quarter horse he’d ridden once. Lately George seemed to have an uncanny knack for choosing the exact wrong times to start acting like her best friend. If he wasn’t stopping to chat with her at the stable in front of Max or other people, he was offering to help her with her schoolwork in front of a teacher so that she couldn’t say no.

  Luckily, at that moment their chemistry teacher called for attention and started explaining something at the board, putting an end to George’s monologue for the rest of the period. When the bell finally rang, releasing them from class, Callie jumped up, gathered her books, and hurried out of the room as fast as she could, ignoring George’s calls to wait up.

  Running away from him made her feel helpless and a little stupid, but what else could she do? She just had to get away from George’s breathless, eager, slightly high-pitched voic
e and those watery, pale grayish eyes that never seemed to look away from her.

  I was sure that little speech the other day about taking a break would work. What else can I do to get through to him? What else can I say? Just then she saw Alex Lake coming down the hall. She almost called hello to him, but then she noticed that he was walking hand in hand with Nicole Adams. Both of them were laughing and looking very content with life. Callie raised one eyebrow, remembering what Stevie had told her about her brother’s arrangement with Lisa. Hmmm, she added to herself. Maybe I should give that little speech another try. It certainly seems to be working for Alex and Lisa.

  SEVEN

  Stevie rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was actually physically possible to die of boredom. Feeling slightly guilty for the thought, she glanced over at the girl sitting beside her at the heavy oak library table. Cassidy Clark was bent over a thick, yellowed book, her finger moving rapidly across the page as she scanned the words. Wow, Stevie thought in amazement. You’d think she was reading some fascinating bestseller or something, instead of a bunch of dusty old yearbooks and school records and stuff.

  Stifling a yawn, Stevie flipped another page in the old yearbook on the table in front of her. Sneaking a peek at her watch, she sighed. Why did sitting in the Fenton Hall library always seem to make time stand still? Stevie glanced around at the ancient, mismatched, uncomfortable furniture, the crowded stacks, and the oppressively low ceiling. The tiny, narrow windows behind the librarian’s desk hardly allowed any sunlight to enter, leaving the task of illumination to be the long, bare, humming fluorescent tubes overhead.

  Who could possibly think that anyone could ever get any work done in a depressing place like this? she wondered, not for the first time. It’s no wonder we’re practically the only ones here.

  “Here’s something interesting,” Cassidy said, not taking her eyes off her book. “Says here that Headmaster Fenton—you know, Miss Fenton’s uncle, the one who started the school—wanted the school colors to be green and white, just like his mother’s family crest, but he let the students vote, and that’s why they’re crimson and gold instead.”

  “Yeah. Fascinating,” Stevie replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  Cassidy didn’t seem to hear her comment. Pulling her large yellow notepad toward her, the senior jotted down some notes, adding to the neatly written list of information that already covered nearly four pages, and then returned to her reading. With another sigh, Stevie did the same—after a guilty glance at her own messy but still mostly blank tablet.

  As she turned another page in the yearbook, Stevie found the student superlatives page. Hmmm, she thought, scanning it with a twinge of interest. Let’s see who the class standouts were back in 1967. She recognized the student voted Most Likely to Succeed as her family’s orthodontist, and the Best-Dressed Girl had a familiar name and face, too—Stevie was pretty sure the slender, haughty girl in the picture, an older and decidedly less slender woman now, had lived on her block until a few years earlier.

  Then she glanced at the Class Clown photo and smiled. The student in the picture was doing a handstand with shoes on his hands and gloves on his feet. Even though the boy had curly blond hair and a big nose, he reminded her a little of A.J. It was something about his expression—goofy, friendly, eager to laugh and have fun.

  Of course, A.J. doesn’t look that way too often anymore, she thought ruefully, staring at the photo and thinking about what Lisa had told her on the phone the evening before about seeing A.J. at the mall. I just hope Lisa convinced him to come to the CARL thing on Friday. It would be good for him to get out and have fun, especially right now.

  She still had trouble believing that A.J. had broken up with Julianna. First Lisa and Alex, now A.J. and Julianna—it was starting to feel like an epidemic.

  Well, maybe not quite, Stevie admitted, flipping another page and staring at pictures of a long-ago prom. We can’t forget Carole and her long-lost Prince Charming, can we?

  She smiled as she thought about Cam’s timely return and the way he’d already swept Carole off her feet, asking her to go steady on their second date. Lisa had filled her in on that little bombshell as well, and Stevie was thrilled. For one thing, she’d always liked Cam. Besides that, Carole had recently confessed to Stevie and Lisa that she was having feelings for Ben Marlow. In typical Carole fashion, she hadn’t quite sorted out what those feelings might be or what she wanted to do about them, and now, thanks to Cam, she wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. And Stevie wouldn’t have to worry that Ben was going to break her friend’s sensitive heart by being his usual blunt, aloof self.

  I can’t wait to see Cam and Carole together on Friday, Stevie thought happily, still staring at the dancing couples on the page in front of her. It’s about time Carole found a guy who really appreciates her. Someone who’ll shower her with the whole roses-and-moonlight deal.

  Thinking about moonlight distracted her for a moment, reminding her of the Starlight Ride. So far she hadn’t done more than scribble a few vague notes for her big story. She knew she had to find time to work on it soon. Maybe she could start by interviewing people at school who’d taken lessons at Pine Hollow at one time or another. She was sure Lorraine Olsen would have some nice memories of the Starlight Ride, along with Betsy Cavanaugh and Anna McWhirter. And then there was—

  “Look who’s here, working her way up from the bottom,” a snide, self-satisfied voice interrupted her thoughts.

  Stevie glanced up with a scowl. “What do you want, Veronica? I’m busy.”

  Veronica didn’t answer for a moment, though she regarded Stevie with cool amusement. Stevie frowned at her, wondering what was going on. Back when Veronica had ridden regularly at Pine Hollow, she and Stevie had been at each other’s throats constantly. A couple of years earlier Veronica had decided that guys were a lot more interesting than horses, and since then, she and Stevie had pretty much stayed out of each other’s way.

  Then Stevie had featured Veronica in her first article for the Sentinel. She just hadn’t been able to resist some pretty unflattering references, even though she knew that Veronica would have a cow. Veronica might not care much about her schoolwork or other people’s feelings, but she definitely cared about her reputation. Sure enough, Veronica had sworn horrible revenge as soon as the issue came out.

  Finally Veronica responded to Stevie’s question, her voice serene and almost affable. “Oh, I just thought I’d stop by and give you the latest scoop.” She smirked and tossed her shiny dark hair over one shoulder. “The Sentinel has a new columnist. And you’re looking at her.”

  Stevie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  Cassidy was looking from one girl to the other, perplexed. “What are you saying, Veronica?” the senior asked curiously. “Did you really decide to join the paper?”

  “Well, I didn’t so much decide. It was more like Theresa begged me to come on board,” Veronica replied smugly. “I’m going to be the new gossip columnist.” She turned and stared at Stevie, a slightly sinister smile playing around the edges of her carefully lined lips. “And I already have lots of ideas for my first column.”

  Stevie scowled. Was Veronica pulling her leg? Trying to scare her into thinking she was going to write a lot of nasty stuff about Stevie and her friends? If so, it was a pretty weak prank—too lame even for Veronica.

  “I’m going to go find out what’s going on right now.” Stevie jumped to her feet and shot Cassidy an apologetic glance. “Be right back.” She hurried out of the library before either of the other girls could say a word.

  Moments later, she was leaning on a table in the media room, gaping at Theresa in disbelief. “You can’t be serious!” Stevie exclaimed. “You actually gave that—that—that Veronica her own column?”

  Theresa shrugged, her face registering mild surprise at Stevie’s reaction. “When she brought me the idea, I admit I was skeptical at first,” the editor said calmly. “A gossip column isn’t quite
the kind of real news the Sentinel usually publishes. But then I thought about it a little and realized that this was a golden opportunity to spice things up a bit, make the paper more fun.” She shrugged. “Besides, Veronica seemed like a good choice to write it. She’s a pretty influential person at Fenton Hall—you know, socially.”

  Stevie grimaced. “Only in her own mind,” she muttered.

  She couldn’t believe this was happening. And the worst part is, she thought grimly, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t put her in my article, she never would have come up with a stupid idea like this.

  But there didn’t seem much point in brooding over that. What was done was done, and Stevie would just have to deal with the consequences. “Are you sure a gossip column is a good idea?” she asked Theresa. “I mean, like you said, it’s not really hardhitting news or anything. What if people take the Sentinel less seriously?”

  “I don’t think that will happen.” Theresa didn’t seem at all worried about the possibility. “In fact, I think this will make the paper even better. It’s good to have a balance. If all you print is hard news or serious, depressing stories, a lot of people aren’t going to be as eager to pick it up. That’s one reason why most major newspapers have a comics section. And it’s why we print nice, happy articles—like the one you’re doing on your Christmas trail ride—right along with the more serious, controversial stuff.”

  Stevie bit her lip. She couldn’t really argue with that. What’s more, she didn’t even necessarily think a gossip column was a terrible idea. In the right hands it could even be a lot of fun. In Veronica’s hands, however …

  “I’ve got an idea,” she blurted out. “What if someone different writes the gossip column every week? That will definitely give it even more of a balance, like you were saying.”

  Theresa was already shaking her head. “It was Veronica’s idea,” she said. “She really seems to have a vision for it. I want to give her a chance to do it her way first.”